Forest Fighting Fit Needs New Boxing Ring to Continue Training

The battered boxing ring at a small Gloucestershire gym has finally reached the point of no return.

At Forest Fighting Fit in Parkend, the canvas and boards that have hosted countless rounds of sparring and community sessions are now so worn, water-damaged and unstable that coaches have been forced to call time on it.

Head coach Michelle Gardiner describes the state of the ring as “diabolical” after more than 10 years of repairs, patches and relentless use by local fighters of all ages. The posts have no padding. The boards wobble underfoot. The ropes lose their tension almost as soon as they are tightened. For a combat sport where balance, safety and confidence are everything, it has become a risk too far.

Storm Bert delivered the final blow. When it hit the Forest of Dean in November 2024, it “definitely” took its toll on the already tired structure, Gardiner says. The gym has suffered two flooding incidents, both around the ring area. The platform may be elevated, but damp has crept in and stayed there, rotting from within.

Now, if the club is to keep developing boxers and kickboxers, it needs a new ring. The cost: £3,500.

That figure is not just a line on a quote. It is the difference between standing still and moving forward. A replacement ring would allow Forest Fighting Fit to expand its programmes for different ages and abilities, and to make sessions safer and more accessible for disabled participants. It would also restore a focal point in the gym – the stage where young fighters test themselves, learn to cope with pressure and, in some cases, launch serious sporting journeys.

One of those journeys belongs to 10-year-old Lily, who started at Forest Fighting Fit when she was four. Her mum, Emma Morgan, remembers a shy child clinging to her leg on that first visit. Today, Lily competes in front of thousands of people in national and international kickboxing events.

She has already won WKO World Championship Gold and has appeared at two Grand Prix events, including the European. Her progress shows what the gym can produce when the facilities are fit for purpose.

Yet while Lily continues to shine, Morgan – now a trustee of the gym – says the broken ring is blocking the path for the next wave of youngsters. Without a safe boxing ring, children who begin in kickboxing cannot properly make the transition into boxing. The technical work, the footwork, the feeling of the ropes at their back – all of it suffers.

For Morgan, the issue goes beyond medals and titles.

A new ring, she says, would transform belief. “It would bring their confidence up; it's all about confidence.” When the ring is in use and the gym is full, she talks of a “really good team atmosphere” that lifts everyone, from the smallest novice to the most seasoned veteran.

Forest Fighting Fit recently secured charity status, underlining its role as more than just a training venue. It is a community hub. Gardiner says people from four to 69 years old train there, sharing the same space, the same equipment and, until recently, the same sagging canvas.

Grant applications have brought no joy. After “no luck” securing formal funding, the club has turned to its own community, launching a crowdfunder to raise the £3,500 needed. Local firm Suntory Beverage and Food in Coleford has stepped in to match all donations, doubling every pound that comes through the door.

The old ring is still there, a scarred reminder of storms, sweat and a decade of hard use. The question now is whether the community that filled it can rally one more time and help build the platform for the next generation to climb through the ropes.